


Couples Counseling Cruise Closeness

by Tafka



Category: Avengers (Comics)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-23
Updated: 2013-09-23
Packaged: 2017-12-27 09:43:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/977291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tafka/pseuds/Tafka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jan and Steve pretend to be married to get on a couples counseling cruise and investigate possible criminal activity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Couples Counseling Cruise Closeness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VespidaeQueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VespidaeQueen/gifts).



“Oh, honey do be careful with the luggage! Don't break anything. Do you need me to carry something? Is it too much for you? Because if you're not strong enough I can...” Jan let her constant stream of nagging trail off when she locked the door to their berth behind her. Sighing deeply, she looked around the tiny room with a critical eye. “You know, I'd think that a marital counseling cruise that costs this much would have nicer rooms! Especially if they are trying to entice me to join their secret evil society of misandrists. I think I might have to turn Wasp-sized just for there to be enough room for both of us in here.” She turned to Steve, who was trapped in a mountain of her luggage. “Let me help you put all that away.”

He laughed as he rebuffed her, “No, remember? I am your henpecked husband, you make me do everything for you, and I resent it deeply.” He was smiling so hard his dimples were showing, and it was making her smile too.

“Oh, right, and I am so frigid I'm driving you into the arms of another woman,” she playfully tugged at the hatbox he was holding, but he didn't let go.

“Right, my twin sister, even. How could you?”

He tried to finagle the box away from her, but only succeeded in getting them stuck between the mound of luggage and the bed. “Well she is stunningly beautiful, after all.” Jan made a face at him, and when he was distracted, she pulled the box away, sending him tumbling onto the bed. He grinned stupidly as she attempted to fit it into the tiny closet, until he realized the bed he was sitting on was hardly big enough for two. There was no way Jan would let him be chivalrous and sleep on the floor, no more than she would let him put away her luggage. He tried not to think that it would be quite pleasant to sleep next to Jan, and instead reviewed their plan in his head. Much of it relied on convincing the cruise organizers that they truly hated each other, a task he had originally felt would be simple. Now he seriously doubted his acting skills.

“You're much prettier than your sister, though.”

“Yes, because I don't have a sister!”

“You're prettier than your imaginary sister.” He smiled even wider when she laughed. He told himself it was okay to act this way, as long as it was only when they were alone together.

***

Steve stood in the cramped bathroom and steeled himself for the night. What had seemed so simple when they planned this mission now filled him with unspeakable anxiety. Somewhere between noticing the twinkle in her eye when she repeated her well-rehearsed list of her “husband's” faults and the moment she almost broke character into giggles when they were instructed to “stare into each other's souls,” Steve realized that he was halfway in love with Jan. This was terrible, because they were about to share a bed. That was okay with them both when they were friends who were very comfortable with each other, but now it was more than okay with him, which would be okay but not if Jan didn't know that it was more than okay, because she might not be okay with that. So now he needed to go out and confess to one of his closest friends that he was halfway in love with her, because otherwise that would not be okay. Also, he needed to stop thinking the word “okay.”

When he emerged, Jan was sitting on the edge of the bed, which she had turned down, reading over their itinerary for tomorrow. “I'm thinking we should try the Primal Scream Therapy in the afternoon, that would be a good place to demonstrate my hatred for you, right?” Her pyjamas were an old t-shirt and flannel boxers, which was the same thing he wore, which was adorable. She looked up just as he opened his mouth, and gave him The Look. “Don't you dare say one word about sleeping on the floor, Steven. None of this chivalry bullshit, we will share the bed as equals, no arguments!”

He felt rooted to the spot, “Jan, I--”

She waved a hand to silence him. “Look, you can sleep on the outside, so I can push you off if you start to snore, but that's my only concession.” She scooted over to the wall, and shimmied under the covers. The bed was very narrow, and there wasn't much room left, even though Jan didn't take up much space. He obediently went over and sat on the edge of the bed next to her. She smiled triumphantly.

“I'm in love with you now.”

She blinked rapidly, “So... you wouldn't mind if I kicked you out of bed for snoring?”

He let out a shaky breath, “No, that's okay. I don't snore, anyway, so you wouldn't have to.” She just smiled at him, so he joined her under the covers.

There was an immediate problem when they found there was not quite enough room for them to lie side-by-side, since one of his arms was hanging awkwardly over the side. “Here, lift your arm up,” Jan scootched closer to him, and soon was cuddled up with her head cushioned on his chest. He slowly lowered his arm to cradle her back, and shifted them both so they were fully on the bed. “Comfortable?” 

She was looking up at him expectantly, but he couldn't speak for the lump that was forming in his throat. He wanted to tell her again that he loved her, but he was certain she'd heard him the first time. “Yes, very.”

She closed her eyes and smiled. “Steve...”

“Yes?”

“Turn out the light?”

He leaned over to flip the switch, and soon they were enveloped in total darkness, since their berth didn't have any windows. He closed his eyes and tried to think of sleep, and not think about holding Jan in his arms, or the feeling of her bare legs pressed against his.

He thought she had fallen asleep until he heard her whisper, “I can feel your heart pounding.”

“I'm sorry.” she was silent for a few moments while he reflected on the foolishness of that reply.

“Mine is too.”

He smiled in the darkness. “That's okay,” he reassured her.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as a Tumblr prompt for "Pretending to be married" and "sharing a bed"


End file.
